European Parliament action on trans fats welcomed by SNP

posted by Adam Marks | October 26, 2016

Alyn Smith, SNP Member of the European Parliament, today welcomed the passing of a resolution calling for the Commission to establish, as soon as possible, an EU wide legal limit on industrial trans fats or trans fatty acids (TFAs).

These are widely used in the food industry, particularly in ready-made meals, cakes, industrial frying fat, biscuits and wafers. Currently the World Health Organisation recommends that TFAs should make up less than 1% of a person’s total daily energy intake.

Denmark brought in a national limit of 2% of TFAs in oils and fats in 2003.

Alyn said:

“I am delighted the Parliament has supported this resolution on an issue that I have been campaigning on for almost a decade.

“Although we have seen from the experience of Denmark that this policy can work at a member state level modern supply chains mean that it can only be truly effective if restrictions are applied across the Single Market.

“This is yet another great example of how Europe can work to improve the lives of citizens from Scotland to the Mediterranean on issues that need to be dealt with across borders.”